A true reading of American history reveals this society as profoundly unfree in its origins, its history, and its psychology. That one of the greatest expressions of human freedom should be manifested in our Constitution by men who were mostly slave owners themselves, including the brilliant and profound Thomas Jefferson, is one of the ironies and contradictions with which our history is filled. Because of the incessant propaganda about our being the best country in the world that fills our airwaves and private conversations, a realistic and mature evaluation of own true national faults and virtues is difficult.

The simple facts are known by most people: we conquered, killed, and imprisoned most of the indigenous inhabitants, and imported as…